A new fear about Swine Flu

...Which begs the question: What illness is this which is "fun to receive" that you have imply exists?

I'm sorry to inject humor into this serious subject, but I just cracked up when I read your reply. No criticism. In fact, thanks for the giggle; I needed it!

Maggiepie
"IMPEACH THE IMPOSTER!"

ooops read again it says ISN'T a fun illness to receive...

Sorry Maggie I just caught on to what you said after I posted the Ooops.
Sometimes I miss the hidden implies. I don't think there is any "fun" illnesses.

I did post it to give people a head's up on this.

Kowgirl - you take the humor you can find where you can find it - I got a lot of mileage from my surgery last year

To Kow and Elic!

Please pardon my bent sense of humor. "Humor is where you find it." Elic, what a great way of putting it!

Maggiepie
"IMPEACH THE IMPOSTER!"

no, not foot and mouth - its a flu like the seasonal flu, but of a different and more generalized form - and seems to be striking down younger people, maybe the swine flu shots most of the U.S. got back in 1977 is protecting those of us who are older

ahhh... ok... i just thought of that because it has the same carrier, PIGs. Thanks for the infos, Elic. You are such a handyMAM

the cooking the pigs ears would kill the virus - besides, the article said pigs, 2 ferrets and a cat - no dogs

Now that's just weird, 'cause as we both know, dogs will eat a n y t h i n g--including what comes in cat litter boxes! And I'm sure you recall that neighbor's dog that ate a ladder & part of our mutual porch door, & the one that ate our back yard tree!

Maggiepie
"IMPEACH THE IMPOSTER!"

lmao @ Maggie Sounds like you have some fun dogs around there.

so far in the states its moved from humans to animals, not the other way around

and the plans to find water on the moon started LONG before this flu came around - redirecting the money at this point wouldn't work, its mostly already been spent

Hi

Thank for your comment. And the move that you sited here is a beneficial move for the human and the earth.

hand washing is as effective a way to keep it from spreading to the pet as it is to a person

Well, while I employ regularly a healthy (no pun meant) skepticism toward "experts'" opinions, let's not jump the gun, here. It's just possible that when they said that, they were correct, but, as microscopic critters have very swift reproduction & therefore swift generational mutations, they may have later mutated & began to be affected.

I totally agree with you that, ultimately, we need to be closely attuned to the messages our pets give us. Their health & behavior must be constantly on our radar, as we know them far better than any vet will in a quick exam at a clinic. While the vet has much knowledge we don't, we have much he or she lacks, too. It's a team effort!

For now, we'd all better keep a close eye on the little non-human loves we think of as family. After all, we wouldn't ignore it if our human relatives began having unusual symptoms, now would we?

The watchword is: CAUTION!

Maggiepie
"IMPEACH THE IMPOSTER!"

actually, it developed in the pig population - just as other flues are first spotted in bird or swine populations in parts of Asia. It obviously mutated probably in Mexico - not common, but happens... Viruses are there, all the time in certain populations of animals, but then it mutates, jumps into the human population and is more swiftly spread these days - because of swift transportation. The flu in 1917-18 killed many because of the effects of, among other things - WWI.

Argh... boy. (Smacks self hard on forehead) (Ow....)

"Brain? What brain?? We don' neeeeed no stinkin' brain!" (Combo movie/TV show catch-phrase alert... )

Of course the frikkin' virus can transfer from species to species; I guess the PC term H1N1 made me forget...there's a reason it was originally called "Swine Flu!"

Duh-huh... she needs sleep, she does!

Hokay I go bed now bye.

Maggiepie
"IMPEACH THE IMPOSTER!"

Sorry to hear you are sick. If your pet has it, it will show the same symptoms, so a vomiting dog or cat who isn't congested probably doesn't have it. Just be sure to keep tissues away from the dogs if they eat them and wash your hands frequently.

It's funny you should mention tissues because my dogs LOVE to get ahold of them and rip them to shreds. But, because they love that so much, I've learned to keep them far out of their reach.

They were vomiting but are now just fine, back to eating 'Mommy's home-made peanut butter treats'. They LOVE them. I know that, if they refuse to eat them, I should head to the vet's right away but they're eagerly accepting them when I offer them. So, all is well.

My chest feels a bit lighter today, thank goodness! I'm just glad that we don't have to do any talking here because I'd be pretty silent. I've developed laryngitis and sound so funny!